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Bought a Master Chef E500

Last Spring, I priced out how much it would have cost to fix up the old BBQ. When including the igniter (which I could care less if I had), the cost was going to be higher than what I paid for the BBQ five years earlier. Because of the state of the burner in the BBQ, we did not use it much last year. We were holding off on buying a new one because we were hoping to have moved last year and did not want to have to move it.

This past January, my partner and I were eager to get a new one due to the types of food we do (and don’t) eat when BBQ’ing. During BBQ “season” (in quotes because I BBQ year round), we tend to eat a lot more vegetables and a lot less carbs. Apparently January is not a good time of year to go BBQ shopping!

I have always bought the brand of BBQ that I grew up with. Dad always got the Master Chef with a side burner (which I rarely use but is nice to have just in case). A lot of the fancier BBQ’s that you see now are the same price (~$300) Dad used to pay for his which are now closer to $125.

We spent more money on a BBQ than we normally would and I stepped outside my comfort zone in choosing the one we got. I have been wanting more cooking area because the amount of food I cook had me layering to get it all “on” the grill! I also have always wanted a rotisserie.

I had really been resisting cast iron grates. I cooked on one before and really did not like the way it unevenly heated up (I only had 2 of 3 burners turned on) and then the meat stuck to the grate.

The first time I used our new BBQ, I ended up phoning Dad about the meat sticking to the grill and then again the next day on how to clean the grates after reading conflicting information online. The manual said to use a normal BBQ brush but someone in the review of the BBQ had said they had to replace their grates at $80 a piece because the ceramic coating was peeling off from using the BBQ brush. I bought a BBQ brush which is working well. My Dad says to heat use the brush when the grill is hot and not to bang the grates with it because it will cause the ceramic coating to break.

Cooking for the first time with marinated chicken might not have been the best choice (I hate and almost never char my food!) but the chicken tasted great! Even the charred parts. I had remembered from some of the cooking shows that they say if the meat is sticking to the grill, it is not ready to be turned. When it is ready, it will lift off easily. This is something I will have to trust because as I said, I hate charring my food and start to panic when I cannot get my meat off the grill to check that it’s not burnt.

We also bought the Rotisserie Kit because it was 40% off which I am eager to try out with the Rotisserie Burner that is built into the BBQ.

So far, I am loving the new BBQ even though I feel as though I am having to start over again in learning how to use one and know it will take time for me to adjust. The one noticeable difference is that the food is cooking faster than it did with our old BBQ which cooked at a cooler temperature.

Even better, it is now asparagus season! I will have to pop over to Quality Greens to buy some for the grill on my way home. I might even have to pick up a chicken to rotisserie.